Window zooming convenience
I frequently have multiple windows open in Vim–this reduces the number of lines each window displays–I almost always have my windows either all the same size or the current one as big as possible. The following function can be toggled on or off by typing max (I can do this quite quickly); just change the mapping at the bottom to something else if you prefer. This causes the current window to be as big as possible (moving into another window causes that one to become big) and all the others get very small. I actually use this ALL the time. Turning it off (by typing the hotkey sequence again) will cause all windows to have the same height. "toggles whether or not the current window is automatically zoomed function! ToggleMaxWins() if exists('g:windowMax') au! maxCurrWin wincmd = unlet g:windowMax else augroup maxCurrWin " au BufEnter * wincmd _ | wincmd | " " only max it vertically au! WinEnter * wincmd _ augroup END do maxCurrWin WinEnter let g:windowMax=1 endif endfunction nnoremap max :call ToggleMaxWins() Note that the essential Vim commands are which maximizes the current window by making all of the other windows 1-line high. And which makes all window sizes the same. The script just makes it easier to toggle. For info on see . Rolodex Vim A similar effect is achieved with the settings commonly known as "Rolodex Vim" or "the poor man's tabs", invented by Tonymec. :set noequalalways winminheight=0 winheight=9999 helpheight=9999 * 'noequalalways' makes sure Vim doesn't try to make all windows equal. * 'winminheight' set to 0 means non-current windows may collapse to a status line and nothing else (thus sparing screen real estate) * 'winheight' at 9999 swells the current window to maximum height, squashing all non-current windows * 'helpheight' does the same when in a help window. The result is that the current window opens full-height, pushing all other windows above and below it to just a status line each. To see what it means, figure a Rolodex phone directory, like people once used before personal computers came around. The current card is open full-size, with the borders of the previous cards visible above it and those of the following cards below it. You can even push the similarity further: mouse-clicking any status line opens that "Rolodex page" in Vim, like holding one index letter on the top or bottom side of the Rolodex® allowed to open that directory card in the good old paper-and-ink times of a generation ago. Of course the "Vim Rolodex pages" can also be turned up and down one-by-one with ^Ww and ^WW etc. See: * * * * Rolodex Vim on a per tab basis This code allows you to turn the settings on and off quickly by pressing F2. They are remembered on a per-tab basis so you can have it turned on just for one tab. Put this code in your .vimrc file. "This function turns Rolodex Vim on or off for the current tab "If turning off, it sets all windows to equal height function! ToggleRolodexTab() if exists("t:rolodex_tab") > 0 unlet t:rolodex_tab call ClearRolodexSettings() execute "normal \=" else let t:rolodex_tab = 1 call SetRolodexSettings() endif endfunction "This function clears the Rolodex Vim settings and restores the previous values function! ClearRolodexSettings() "Assume if one exists they all will if exists("g:remember_ea") > 0 let &equalalways=g:remember_ea let &winheight=g:remember_wh let &winminheight=g:remember_wmh let &helpheight=g:remember_hh endif endfunction "This function set the Rolodex Vim settings and remembers the previous values for later function! SetRolodexSettings() if exists("t:rolodex_tab") > 0 let g:remember_ea=&equalalways let g:remember_wh=&winheight let g:remember_wmh=&winminheight let g:remember_hh=&helpheight set noequalalways winminheight=0 winheight=9999 helpheight=9999 endif endfunction "These two autocmds make Vim change the settings whenever a new tab is selected "We have to use TabLeave to always clear them. If we try and turn them off "in TabEnter, it is too late ( I think, since WinEnter has already been called and triggered the display) au TabLeave * call ClearRolodexSettings() au TabEnter * call SetRolodexSettings() "With this mapping, F2 toggles a tab to be Rolodex style noremap :call ToggleRolodexTab() Merge below comments in if useful Great tip—I always edit in this mode. Problem is, the quickfix window gets shrunk to nothing. Does anyone have any idea how to set the quickfix window ( ) to a minimum of 12 lines (say) while in rolodex mode? : Try the following (untested) after opening the quickfix window (and with it being current): :setlocal winfixheight=12 (see ) — Tonymec 05:25, September 25, 2010 (UTC) ::'winfixheight' is a boolean option. You want something like :resize 12 | setlocal winfixheight. --Fritzophrenic 14:38, September 27, 2010 (UTC) :::But help says that winfixheight is set in a quickfix window, and that it will be ignored when running out of room. So something more would be needed. JohnBeckett 11:15, September 28, 2010 (UTC)